Adjustable wrench



Jan. 1, 1929. 1,697,291 J. D. SPENCE ADJUSTABLE WRENCH In yen forPatented Jan. 1, 1929.

*lTE STATES PATENT OFFIQEJ.

JOHN D. SPENCE, OF EAGLE.ROCK, CALIFORNIA. A a I ADJUSTABLE ,WRLENGH.

Application filed June 9, 1925. Serial No. 35,883.

invention relates toadjustable wrenches,

' and has for its main object to provide certain have shown onepractical embodiment of the same on the accompanying sheet of drawings,which I will now describe.

Figure 1 is aside elevation of a wrench for use on nuts and embodying myinvention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on line 22 of Fig. 3

Figure 3 is an end view of the wrench, looking at the left hand end ofFig. 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the wrench at line 4-4, of Fig. 2;and

Figure 5 is a sectional view through the wrench at line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the body of the wrench comprises a.fixed or integral jaw, 1, and the handle, 2, which handle can be of anydesired form and size. The main jaw body 1 is hollow, as at 3 and 4,Fig. 4, thus providing the opposite side members, 5, 5, the edges ofwhich, on their lower halves, are provided with ratchet teeth 6, 6, asshown clearly in Fig. 1. Slidably mounted in said body, between saidside members, 5, 5, is an adjustable jaw, 7 having a tubular part, 8,fitting in the hollow part 4,'of said body, and somewhat smaller indiameter than said hollow part 4, as will be clear from Fig. 5, for apurpose hereinafter again referred to. On its opposite sides, nea-r thelower side thereof, said adjustable jaw is provided with a few ratchetteeth, 9, adapted to intermesh with the teeth, 6, 6, in the sidemembers, 5, 5, as indicated. -A guide pin, 10, is secured within thehollow part 4, of said body, the end of said pin being screwed into thewall of an extension, or angle, 11, and the other end of said pinextending into the tubular part of the adjustable jaw 7, as clearlyindicated in Fig. 2. A coiled spring, 12. is placed around said pin,within said hollow part 4, and extended down into said tubular part, 8,of the adjustable jaw, as indicated in Fig. 2. The purpose of thisspring is to move said adjustable jaw out when it is released from theteeth, 6, 6, as hereinafter described. A plunger 13, is mounted in thehandle portion, 2, adjacent said body, the innerend of which terminatesin a pin 14, bearing against the tubular part of the adjustable jaw 7,as shown in Fig. 2. A spring 15 is placed around the pin part'14, andtends to. normally move said "plunger 13, outwardly to ltS'IlOI'f mal orlimited position. Aistop pin, 16;, though the body, serves to limit themovements of said'plunger,"by reason of "the re cess 17 cut in the sideof the plunger. A stop pin 18, also serves to limit the outward movementof the adjustable jaw and its tubular part 8, by reason of the lug, 8,thereon. Said lug 8 moves in an offset, 4, in the rear of the hollowpart 4, as shown in Fig. 4, and also indicated in Fig. 2-. In adjustingthe jaw 7, the guide pin 10 is flexed sufiiciently to disconnect theteeth 9 from the teeth 6.

The operation of said wrench may be briefly described as follows: Whenit is desired to adjust the jaw 7 outwardly, pressure is applied to theplunger 13, which moves said jaw 7, out of engagement with the ratchetteeth 6, 6, said hollow part 4, being large enough to permit thislimited movement, as will be clear from Fig. 5, whereupon the spring 12,will move said jaw 7, downwardly to the limit. When it is desired tomove said jaw 7 upwardly, or towardthe fixed jaw 1, the user simplyplaces his thumb on the lower end of the projecting tubular part, 8, ofsaid aw and presses it upwardly, the teeth permitting said jaw to bemoved in one direction, but preventing it from being moved outwardlyuntil the teeth 9 are disengaged from the teeth 6, by pressing inwardlyon the plunger 13, as hereinbefore described. Thus said adjustable jawis quickly and conveniently adjusted to nuts of different sizes bysimply pressing the, plunger 13, to permit the wrench to open,

and then pressing the tubular member 8, forming apart of the adjustablejaw 7, until it engages the nut on which the wrench, is placed. 7 I

I do not limit the invention to the details as shown and described,except as I may be limited by thehereto appended claims;

I claim: e A

1. A wrench of the character shown and described including a jaw bodyhaving a jaw portion and a body of hollow construction providinga'slideway tranversely of said jaw portion, a movable aw having a awportion corresponding to the jaw portion of said jaw body and having aninterfitting portion slidable in, said slideway and slightly smallerthan said slideway, wherebyto permit relative movement of saidinterfitting portion within said slideway, there being intermeshingteeth on the movable jaw and said jaw body adapted to be moved out ofmesh with each other when said movable jaw is moved relative to said jawbody within said slideway, and a plunger extendingthrough said jaw bodyinto said slideway, the end of which engages with said movable jaw tomove it relative to said slideway to disengage said teeth, and a springfor normally moving said movable jaw when said teeth are disengaged fromeach other by pressing said plunger 2. A wrench of the characterreferred to comprising in combination, a body having a fixed jaw andhandle, said body. having ratchet teeth and being hollow, an adjustablejaw having a part moving in said hollow body and having teeth tointermesh with said ratchet teeth, a pin provided with a spring in saidhollow body and extended into said part on said adjustable jaw formoving said adjustable jaw outwardly when released, said adjustable jawbeing movable away from said ratchet teeth to disengage its teeththerefrom, and an operating member to move said adjustable jaw todisengage said teeth.

Signed atv Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, this 2nd day ofJune,

JOHN'DQ SPENOE.

